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All TOPSOIL products are developed from the soil that adheres to the sugar beet delivered to British Sugar’s factories and as such comes from the best agricultural soils in the country. After separation, the soil undergoes a gravity settlement stage prior to a lengthy conditioning process and careful storage ready for delivery to you.
Landscape20 is a registered trademark of British Sugar plc
Click here to view a typical Landscape20 Spec Sheet
Click here to view a typical Landscape20 Analysis Sheet
Landscape20 is analysed to the newly revised British Standard for topsoil BS3882:2007
As a highly friable topsoil with a good level of nutrients and organic microbial activity. It is easy to work on-site using conventional equipment or by hand.
All TOPSOIL products are delivered in their optimum condition and therefore to maintain the product’s consistency and ensure easy application it is advisable to keep it covered if it is not being used immediately.
Due to the stringent, fully-audited standards rigorously maintained throughout the TOPSOIL business, Landscape20 has a dependable quality assured by regular independent analysis. Unlike 'muckaway', it is entirely free of contaminated waste, glass or building material residue and is devoid of invasive weeds such as Japanese Knotweed. As a fully natural product Landscape20 does contain annual weeds but these are easily managed using normal weed-control methods. It is disease-free and contains no pesticide contamination.
Landscape20 is analysed to the newly revised British Standard for topsoil BS3882:2007.
All British Sugar’s TOPSOIL products are derived from prime arable soils and their natural fertility will encourage good plant growth but this does mean weeds need to be controlled. This is particularly important in the early stages of seeding to allow the sown grasses/species to thrive; if left unchecked the weeds will outcompete the grass or plants.
Within areas sown to grasses, the control of annual weeds is normally achieved by regular cutting/mowing. Control in planted areas is achieved by mulching; if a herbicide is used, please check the label for efficacy and application.
The National House Building Council has allowed TOPSOIL to use the following statement: "British Sugar TOPSOIL can help builders meet the requirements of NHBC Standards, Chapter 9.2 'Drives, paths and landscaping', for topsoil"
We are very proud to have achieved this from them which follows a number of property construction projects where Landscape20 has been used very successfully.
During the site investigation of a new development within the Borough of St Edmundsbury heavy metal contamination was found across the site and also in the back gardens of adjacent properties.
Following discussions with the householders, the Borough Council agreed to remove the contamination to a depth of 600mm and in-fill with clean topsoil.
The contaminated soil was removed and sent to a soilwashing plant to minimise the amount sent to landfill. When it came to sourcing the replacement topsoil, James Lemon, St Edmundsbury’s Environmental Officer, said “Because British Sugar TOPSOIL is from a known, clean source I had full confidence that it would meet the specification set for the imported subsoil and topsoil. We’ve worked with British Sugar before so have first-hand experience of their ability to meet our needs”. Having removed the contaminated soil to a depth of 600mm, a subsoil from British Sugar TOPSOIL was laid to a depth of 400mm and then finished with a topping of Landscape20 to a depth of 200mm. The gardens were then returned to their owners for planting.
Since 2008, Landscape20 has been the topsoil of choice for Leon Dempsey and his team of gardeners at the prestigious Barnsdale Hall Hotel, Rutland.
Landscape20 has been used across the 60 acre site for reseeding and planting work.
Leon Dempsey, Grounds Manager at the hotel, said “We are particularly impressed with the nutrient levels in Landscape20 and its ability to hold moisture. Because the existing soil is very thin these two features promote excellent growth of both grass and border plants”.
If reseeding, Landscape20 is used to a depth of 150mm to 200mm. When planting into borders then Landscape20 is used to a depth of 300mm.
Ely City Golf Club is a 72-par parkland course designed by Henry Cotton, located on the outskirts of the city.
Founded in 1962 as a 9-hole course, part of the site had been a prisoner-ofwar camp. The present 18-hole course was created in 1973.
Recently, the club decided on a major programme of bunker reconstruction. TOPSOIL’S Landscape20 was recommended to Andrew Baker, Ely’s Course Manager but before proceeding Andrew visited the Wissington facility where the soil is produced. He followed this by having soil samples independently analysed to confirm its provenance.
Having gained favourable results from the comprehensive analysis, Andrew initiated deliveries of Landscape20 and 430 tonnes was used to reconstruct 18 bunkers.
Andrew gave the following reasons for choosing Landscape20: “Landscape20’s sandy loam texture makes for a soil that is easy to handle and consolidate into the shape needed. ”Andrew continues: “The establishment and subsequent growth of the turf has been very impressive. The roots of the turf had anchored into the Landscape20 within 1-2 weeks of laying. Turf laid in the autumn had rooted to a depth of six inches by the following spring. Because of the good results we will be using Landscape20 not just on future bunker reconstruction work but also to construct and extend xour tee areas”
“We have also started to use TOPSOIL’s Sports10 as a spring & summer topdressing and as a divot mix on tees and the approaches. The 80/20 soil mix has achieved great seed establishment in dry conditions. Finally, one of the most impressive factors of the whole project has been the outstanding consistency of the products and service.”
The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment used 40t of Landscape20 as the soil base for a Natural Garden complementing the demonstration Prince's House at the BRE Innovation Park in Watford, Herts.
The garden is composed of several biodiverse elements, a mini physic garden, fruit trees, fruit shrubs, edible and wildlife friendly hedging, a vegetable garden and a frontispiece cottage garden.
Overall, the garden intends to be a model of how to integrate public and private green spaces into existing and regenerated ecological matrices across the countryside-urban continuum. The bulk of the garden was installed atop hardcore rubble, much of which came from material removed from London in the 1940s. Landscape20's sustainable sourcing was a main selector for the project. The Foundation was pleased with the quick turnaround on delivery, and found the sandy loam soil suitable for intensive horticultural landscaping with a topdressing of two-year composted manure
A total of 460t of Landscape20 was used as the topsoil of choice for the turfing areas around the new £27 million paddock and pit area development opened in May 2011.
Contractors Buckingham Plant Group chose Landscape20 because of its consistent quality and good fertility.
Paul Wheeler, Chairman, Buckingham Group Contracting Limited, said “ we have used topsoil from British Sugar on several projects so did not hesitate in selecting Landscape20 for this prestigious job.
The Silverstone Wing, designed by architects Populous, ensures that teams and sponsors are provided with world-class facilities, including new garages, a race control building, new podium, media centre, and hospitality and VIP spectator zones.
With 4000m2 of glazed exhibition space, a conference centre with 2000m2 of flexible space and a 100 seat auditorium, this iconic building provides a wealth of possibilities to create unique and stunning events.
Silverstone Wing Facts and Figures
• The Silverstone Wing measures 390 metres in length
• The tallest part of the building measures 26 metres (above ground)
• The height of the 'Fin' measures 30 metres (above ground)
• The roof area spans 9,700 square metres
• Approximate floor space for ‘functional areas’:
41 garages covering 6,200 square metres
Media Centre covers 2,780 square metres
Spectator and hospitality zones cover 8,200 square metres
Race Control covers 950 square metres
• 3,450 cubic metres of concrete used in construction
• 1,200 tonnes of steel erected
• 8,000 tonnes of tarmac will be used on site
• The build programme, from start to finish, was 54 weeks (end of April 2010, to Spring of 2011)
The Buckingham Group is one of the fastest growing Land Regeneration, Construction and Rail Contractors in the UK. Operating from near Silverstone, The Company offers a versatile and capable Civil Engineering, Remediation and Building service to a variety of Public and Private Clients across most of England and Wales.
Working with NPS Property Consultants Ltd and sports ground contractor Gerald Davies Ltd, TOPSOIL delivered 2000 tonnes of Landscape20 to Tiffin Girls School, Kingston upon Thames.
The Landscape20 was used to create a grass playing area at the front of the school. NPS were appointed to project manage the improvement works to the school playing field. British Sugar TOPSOIL was specified following recommendations from a number of sources.
NPS were assured that by specifying this topsoil the client would be guaranteed material of a consistently high quality. Sports Ground Contractor, Gerald Davies Ltd was given a two-week window to excavate and remove the existing soil and replace it with the Landscape20, which was placed to an average depth of 150mm by a dozer and then graded and harrowed for seeding.
G B Building Solutions is a national contractor committed to providing high-quality housing, which is both affordable and delivered on time. The site in Nottingham has been developed to offer 112 dwellings as a combination of flats, house and bungalows.
Over a period of 18months, TOPSOIL delivered over 1300 tonnes of Landscape20 to the site, providing all the topsoil that was needed for the whole project. This included the landscaping, turfing and planting of all the new gardens.
Paul Jarman, supervisor and assessor at St Ann’s, explains why they chose Landscape20, “We came to British Sugar TOPSOIL as we needed to ensure we had a good-quality topsoil that would meet the criteria set by Nottingham City Council. We were confident that in using Landscape20 we would not have to worry about any potential problems when the environmental officer visited the site.”
DeepRoot chose Landscape20, the general-purpose product from TOPSOIL, to help exhibit its subsurface integrated tree and stormwater system called Silva Cell at the urban landscape show Cityscape 2008.
The Silva Cell holds unlimited amounts of soil while supporting traffic loads beneath paving and hardscapes and successfully serves two functions: growing large trees and treating stormwater on-site. It supports traffic loads to AASHTO H-20 loading standards and is ideal for almost any application, including car parks, footpaths, streetscapes and plazas. Stephen Chatwin-Grindey of DeepRoot, said ”we selected Landscape20 from British Sugar’s TOPSOIL business because of its reputation as a consistent, easy-to-work topsoil - this complements the quality we have designed into our own product”.
For more information on Silva Cell visit: deeproot.com
The Elton Hall estate, near Peterborough, used Landscape20 for the creation of a major new landscaped area, replacing a former rose garden.
The new project, designed by Lady Tollemache and Lady Proby and undertaken by landscape business R J Warren, based in Whittlesey, Peterborough, incorporated a water feature surrounded by rose & shrub beds edged with Indian sandstone and planters. The existing soil was dug out to a depth of 400mm and replaced with a total of 440 tonnes of Landscape 20 delivered from Wissington, near Kings Lynn.
Robert Warren specialises in landscape maintenance and construction projects and is very aware of the importance of good quality soil. "I was familiar with the TOPSOIL business and had heard some favourable reports, so I felt they had the right product for this prestigious project" he said. "It raked-out well and its high fertility level was very advantageous as it ensured fast establishment and growth of the shrubs and turf" he continued.
The Estate of Elton Hall lies in the heart of 3800 acres, straddling the Cambs and Northants border. The Hall, standing in landscaped parkland, has been in the Proby family since the 1600s.
Led by Nigel Beckford and Simon Grundy, Senior Lecturers in Horticulture, National Diploma students at Writtle College in Essex recently completed an evaluation of Landscape20 on their plot gardens.
The students used Landscape20 in a number of trial areas: to fill raised planters, backfill-turfing bays, establish a new rose garden and renovating a football goalmouth. The raised beds, constructed out of sleepers and concrete, were backfilled with the TOPSOIL product to a max depth of 60mm.
After digging out the existing soil, Landscape20, was placed to a depth of 500mm in the turfing bays. It was also spread by hand into the football pitch goalmouths then raked and seeded.
All the trials were successful and the students made several observations on the TOPSOIL product.
They found it well-graded and easy to handle straight from the stocking area. Once in place, Landscape20 was very easy to rake with no stone picking or breaking down of lumps needed to form a manageable tilth. The raised planters experienced a minimal drop of only 20mm between their filling with the topsoil in July 2005 and their planting in November 2005. The students reported that they found planting in the topsoil very easy and that it demonstrated good structure, drainage and moisture retention.
Although no specific test was undertaken, the students felt that germination rates and growth in the turf bays and goalmouth suggested a high level of nutrient availability from the product.
Essex-based landscaper, Stewart Landscape Solutions Ltd, used Landscape20 to create a stunning scheme in the grounds of Alliance House, a new housing development in Newington Green, London.
Landscape architect Colvin & Moggridge designed and advised the Shaftsbury Housing Association on the scheme and the eight-month project was completed in the spring of 2005.
The approved scheme used a varied planting list and required over 500 tonnes of Landscape20 delivered out of TOPSOIL’s site in Bury St Edmunds. The design featured planted beds to a depth of 300mm and tree pits up to 800mm deep with an integral drainage layer.
Mark Richardson, owner of Stewart Landscaper Solutions, was delighted with how quickly the scheme became established saying “When taking on a project I always ask that I can specify and order the soil so I can be sure the specific planting scheme will be successful. The quality of the TOPSOIL product proved very consistent and the overall customer service from enquiry right through to post-delivery follow-up was superb".
More case studies can be seen in the Customer Testimonials section
